Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

International Business Machines Corporation

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd (corporation)

Infineon Technologies Ag

Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Wan-jae Park

Kyoung-woo Lee

Jae-hak Kim

Soo-geun Lee

Ji-soo Kim

Il-Goo Kim

Jeong-sic Jeon

Kyoung-sub Shin

Hermann Wendt

Hong-Jae Shin

Kaushik Arun Kumar

Sang-rok Hah

Tae-hyuk Ahn

Ravi Prakash Srivastava

Ji-Soo Kim

Chang-woong Chu

Gyung-Jin Min

Anthony David Lisi

Tong Qing Chen

Sang-Hun Seo

Yi-Hsiung Lin

Won-seok Lee

Ju-Hyuk Chung

Hyung-yoon Choi

Joseph Edward Linville

Gyung-jin Min

Methods of forming integrated circuit devices include forming an integrated circuit substrate having an electrically insulating layer thereon and forming a mask layer pattern having at least first and second openings of different size therein, on the electrically insulating layer. First and second portions of the electrically insulating layer extending opposite the first and second openings, respectively, are simultaneously etched at first and second different etch rates. This etching yields a first trench extending adjacent the first opening that is deeper than a second trench extending adjacent the second opening. Then, the bottoms of the first and second trenches are simultaneously etched to substantially the same depths using an etching process that compensates for the first and second different etch rates.

Methods of patterning insulating layers using etching techniques that compensate for etch rate variations

Method of Fabricating Interconnections of a Microelectronic Device Using a Dual Damascene Process. A method of fabricating interconnections of a microelectronic device includes preparing a semiconductor substrate comprising a lower dielectric layer and a lower interconnection, forming an etch stopper layer and an interlayer dielectric layer on the semiconductor substrate, forming a via hole in the interlayer dielectric layer so that the etch stopper layer is exposed through the via hole, performing carbon doping on the etch stopper layer, performing trench etching to form a trench in the interlayer dielectric layer so that the trench overlaps part of the via hole, removing the carbon-doped etch stopper layer, and filling the via hole and the trench with a conductive material to form an upper interconnection.

Method of fabricating interconnections of microelectronic device using dual damascene process

A method of fabricating dual damascene interconnections is provided. A dual damascene region is formed in a hybrid dielectric layer having a dielectric constant of 3.3 or less, and a carbon-free inorganic material is used as a via filler. The present invention improves electrical properties of dual damascene interconnections and minimizes defects.

Method of fabricating dual damascene interconnections of microelectronic device using hybrid low k-dielectric and carbon-free inorganic filler

In a method for determining the degree of charge-up induced by plasma used for manufacturing a semiconductor device and an apparatus therefor, a predetermined region on a surface of a wafer on which a plasma process has been performed is repeatedly scanned with a primary electron beam. Secondary electrons generated by a reaction between the primary electron beam and the surface of the wafer that are emitted to the outside of the surface of the wafer are collected. The degree of charge-up induced at the surface of the wafer by the plasma used during the plasma process is determined from the change in the amount of collected secondary electrons. Determination as to whether a contact hole is opened or as to the degree of degradation of a gate insulating layer is made based on the degree of charge-up.

Method of determining whether a conductive layer of a semiconductor device is exposed through a contact hold

A dual damascene process is disclosed. According to the dual damascene process of the present invention, a first recessed region through an intermetal dielectric layer is filled with a bottom protecting layer, and the bottom protecting layer and the intermetal dielectric layer are simultaneously etched to form a second recessed region that has a shallower depth and wider width than the first recessed region on the first recessed region by using an etch gas selectively etches the intermetal dielectric layer with respect to the bottom protecting layer. In other words, the etch selectivity ratio, the intermetal dielectric layer with respect to the bottom protecting layer, is preferably about 0.5 to about 1.5. Thus, it is possible to form a dual damascene structure without the formation of a byproduct or an oxide fence.

Dual damascene process

In a method for forming a dual damascene wiring pattern, an etch stop film and an interlayer dielectric film comprising an SiOC:H group material are formed on a substrate having an electrical connection layer formed thereon. An anti-reflection layer is formed on the interlayer dielectric film. A primary opening is formed by etching the anti-reflection layer and the interlayer dielectric film to expose a surface of the etch stop film. A sacrificial film is formed comprising a low dielectric constant material in the primary opening and on the anti-reflection layer. A trench photoresist pattern having a width larger than that of the primary opening is formed on the sacrificial film after plasma-processing the sacrificial film. The sacrificial film, the anti-reflection layer and the interlayer dielectric film are sequentially etched using the trench photoresist pattern as an etch mask so as to form a secondary opening of a trench shape, and the trench photoresist pattern is removed, said secondary opening extending from an upper portion of the primary opening. The sacrificial film remaining is removed, the exposed etch stop film and anti-reflection layer are removed, the primary and secondary openings are filled with metal so as to be electrically coupled with the electrical connection layer. In this manner, damage to the etch stop layer is mitigated or eliminated during processing.

Method for forming a dual damascene wiring pattern in a semiconductor device

Provided are an inter-metal dielectric pattern and a method of forming the same. The pattern includes a lower interconnection disposed on a semiconductor substrate, a lower dielectric layer having a via hole exposing the lower interconnection and covering the semiconductor substrate where the lower interconnection is disposed, and an upper dielectric pattern and a lower capping pattern, which include a trench line exposing the via hole and sequentially stacked on the lower dielectric layer. The lower dielectric layer and the upper dielectric pattern are low k-dielectric layers formed of materials such as SiO, SiOF, SiOC, and porous dielectric. The method includes forming an inter-metal dielectric layer including a lower dielectric layer and upper dielectric layer, which are sequentially stacked, on a lower interconnection formed on a semiconductor substrate. The inter-metal dielectric layer is patterned to form a via hole, which exposes the upper side of the lower interconnection. Then, an upper capping layer is formed on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate including the via hole. The upper capping layer and the upper dielectric layer are successively patterned to form a trench line exposing the upper side of the via hole. The upper capping layer is formed of at least one material selected from the group consisting of a silicon oxide layer, a silicon carbide layer, a silicon nitride layer, and a silicon oxynitride layer, by using PECVD.

Inter-metal dielectric patterns and method of forming the same

A method and apparatus for use in manufacturing a semiconductor device strips a polysilicon hard mask without damaging the layer left exposed by openings formed by using the polysilicon hard mask as an etching mask. The method includes forming a polysilicon hard mask in a pattern on a first layer to expose a portion of the first layer, dry etching the exposed portion of the first layer using the polysilicon hard mask as an etching mask to form an opening in the first layer, and thereafter removing the polysilicon hard mask by supplying an etching gas onto the polysilicon hard mask in a direction parallel to the major surface of the semiconductor substrate. The processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber including a spin chuck which supports the semiconductor substrate for rotation, a gas supply unit for supplying a process gas to the reaction chamber, a gas injection unit for injecting the process gas supplied by the gas supply unit into the reaction chamber in a direction parallel to the major surface of the semiconductor substrate, and an exhaust unit for exhausting gases from the reaction chamber.

Method of and apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device using a polysilicon hard mask

Method of determining degree of charge-up induced by plasma used for manufacturing semiconductor device and apparatus therefor

A method of forming an interlevel dielectric layer of a semiconductor device includes filling the gap between conductive lines without the generation of voids or cracks. In the method of forming the interlevel dielectric layer of the semiconductor device, a conductive line is formed on a semiconductor substrate. A polysilazane-family SOG layer is deposited on the semiconductor substrate on which the conductive line is formed. The polysilazane-family SOG layer is baked and etched back until the upper part of the conductive line is exposed using a C-F-family gas having a high C to F ratio, resulting in high etch selectivity ratio of the SOG layer to a silicon nitride layer. A silicon oxide layer, serving as an interlevel dielectric layer, is formed by thermally treating the polysilazane-family SOG layer remaining after the etch back process.

Method of forming interlevel dielectric layer of semiconductor device

A conducting line of a semiconductor device using an aluminum oxide layer as a hard mask, and a method of forming the conducting line. The conducting line, such as a gate line or a bit line of a semiconductor device, includes a conductive layer formed on a semiconductor substrate, a capping insulation layer formed on the conductive layer, and an aluminum oxide layer formed on the capping insulation layer, with the aluminum oxide layer being used as a hard mask.

Conducting line of semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof using aluminum oxide layer as hard mask

A self-aligned contact hole is formed in a cell area of a semiconductor device, and then a polysilicon layer is formed on both the cell area and a peripheral circuit area. A first etch back process is performed using a reactant etching gas, such as Cl,gas, having a high etching rate with respect to the polysilicon layer. This first etch back process on the polysilicon layer is stopped before exposing the top surface of a capping layer in the peripheral circuit area, thereby leaving a thin polysilicon film on the capping layer. A second etch back process is then performed to form a polysilicon node filling the self-aligned contact hole in the cell area. In the second etch back process, an etching reactant gas, such as HBr gas, is used, which has a high etching selectivity of polysilicon with respect to the capping layer.

Growing community of inventors

Suwon, South Korea

Wan-jae Park